


That Which Burns Twice as Bright, Burns Half as Long

by Catolyn



Series: Leading With My Heart [9]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, First Time, Friends to Lovers, Sexual Content, Sexy Times
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-04
Updated: 2013-02-04
Packaged: 2017-11-28 04:28:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/670271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catolyn/pseuds/Catolyn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy gets hurt and Steve tries to break up with her in a misguided attempt at protection. Which goes over about as well as you'd expect.</p><p>Is it still angry make up sex if it's their first time?</p>
            </blockquote>





	That Which Burns Twice as Bright, Burns Half as Long

**Author's Note:**

> Right, so you know how I said I thought I was done with this series? Yeah, I guess it wasn't done with me.
> 
> Rating for language and sex. 
> 
> Er, also the first time in a very long time I've written anything porn-y. -hides face in hands-
> 
>  
> 
> Usual disclaimers apply; mistakes are mine, characters belong to people with attorneys and lots of money.

Darcy felt totally wrecked. After two weeks of Natasha teaching her basic strikes, blocks, kicks, and falls she’d thrown a new element at her that morning; sparring. Darcy knew Natasha had been going easy on her, but it hadn’t prevented Darcy from acquiring an impressive collection of bruises. Including a bruise that shaded the right side of her jaw from below her ear to across her cheek bone.

Natasha had apologized profusely for the hit, despite the fact that Darcy had practically run in to the other woman's elbow strike. After they were done, and Darcy was icing her cheek the spy explained that early sparring sessions always did the most damage, either to the trainer or the trainee. “There’s a saying in martial arts.” she’d said, “That the best black belt in the world doesn’t fear the second best black belt, but the most rank beginner white belt.”

Since her jaw was throbbing Darcy settled for giving Natasha her best ‘And just what does _that_ mean’ face.

Natasha continued, “People who are beginning combat make unpredictable mistakes because they don’t know any better. So the trainer isn’t always able to guard against them. Which is why the elbow to the face. You are doing well though. You were able to get up and keep going. And your kinesthetic awareness is much better than I’d expect of someone your age.”

“Thank god for cheerleading.” croaked Darcy. Seeing the startled look from her instructor. “I was going through a rebellious phase. Cheerleading annoyed mom. It is a dark part of my past, we shall not speak of it again.”

Natasha gave Darcy a look that suggested that perhaps her trainee wasn’t fully possessed of her mental faculties, “You took up cheerleading to annoy your mother? You are a very strange girl.” 

“Says the woman who can probably kill me with her pinky finger.” quipped Darcy.

Natasha shook her head and sent Darcy off with instructions to continue icing her jaw and to take a couple of ibuprofen to keep the swelling down.

Darcy had dutifully followed the instructions and then gone down to Jane’s lab. Jane fussed at her for a short while and then dumped a pile of unorganized data in ridiculously tiny font on her desk. It had taken her the better part of the afternoon to organize the printouts before she could even begin entering data. By the time she’d gotten a good start on it she realized she was late for her next shooting lesson with Clint.

The lesson itself had been going well, when twenty minutes in the team received a call to assemble. Clint had jogged off with a wave and an apology, promising to pick up their lesson tomorrow. Rather than go back to Jane’s lab and stare at tiny font Darcy decided she’d earned the right to relax a little, put on yoga pants and her favorite t-shirt, and heat up something frozen from her freezer for dinner. She made the mistake of turning on the TV while she was trying to eat. Every news outlet was covering the most recent threat to the city. It _looked_ some kind of giant spider robot. Watching for flashes of Steve’s uniform or his shield left her feeling anxious and unsettled. She turned off the news and sent him a text message asking him to let her know when he was back.

It was well after dark when her phone chimed. She checked the message and without bothering to put on shoes hurried down the hall and up two floors to where Steve’s apartment was.

His hair was still wet and it was clear he’d just finished dressing in a plain white t-shirt and khakis. When he opened the door Darcy bounded forward, wrapped her arms around his waist, and rested her head on his chest. “Just let me hug you a minute. Please?” she hated how pathetic she sounded.

He brought his arms around her and slowly ran his fingers through her hair. “What’s wrong?”

“I’ve had a long day which was not improved by watching a giant mechanical spider try to eat my boyfriend on the evening news.” she murmured against his chest.

“I’m fine. Thankfully mechanical spiders have electronics that don’t agree with Thor’s lightning. I was mostly trying to get civilians out of harms way and coordinate with the police force.” He rested his chin on top of her head and asked, “Do you want to come in or are you just going to hold on for dear life in the doorway?” his voice was warm and teasing.

She slowly let go of the comfortable warmth of Steve and slipped past him into his apartment. He closed the door and came to sit with her on the couch, pulling up short at the sight of the bruise coloring her face. He started to reach out a tentative hand to touch her face and stopped when she flinched away. “Darcy, what happened?” his concern was evident.

“I zigged when I should've zagged and ran right smack into Natasha’s elbow. My own fault really. Next time I’ll know better. It just aches a bit.” she explained.

He reached out again and with a featherlight touch caressed her cheek. “That shouldn’t have happened.” his expression was closed off and unreadable.

“Hey, I’m fine. Well not fine, but it’s nothing fatal. Nothing a little ice and OTC pain meds won’t cure. I think I’m going to avoid going out anywhere for a bit. I really don’t need to be fending off well meaning people in Starbucks who’ll think I’m a victim of domestic violence.” she said, trying to dismiss the matter.

There was a deep sorrow Steve’s expression as he sat down, folding his hands in his lap. “This isn’t safe.”

She rolled her eyes at him, “Of _course_ it isn’t safe. I’m learning self defense from an assassin-spy and an assassin-spy-marksman. I wasn’t exactly sure what I’d signed on for when I agreed to this but I was _pretty_ sure it wasn’t going to be all fluffy kittens, butterflies, and sparkly unicorn farts.”

“That’s not what I meant.” his voice was tightly controlled and he avoided meeting her gaze.

She turned toward him on the couch and sat cross legged, “I think I’m going to need to have this spelled out for me. I know I got knocked around a bit today, but I don’t think I have a concussion. And I have no idea what you’re talking about.” confusion clearly coloring her voice.

“It isn’t safe for you to be involved with me. It puts you in more danger. You’re getting hurt.”

Darcy’s expression became stormy and her voice became sharper, “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on a second soldier. I live in a building full of super heroes and scary-smart genius scientists who generally regard the laws of physics as something to be broken before breakfast and perverted by dinner. I was in danger before we ever kissed. From where I’m sitting my relative danger level has gone _down_ because I’m learning how to defend myself.”

“But look at your face!” was his anguished reply.

She threw her hands in the air and began punctuating her words with tense gestures “So what!? I have a bunch of bruises. They’ll heal. And hopefully next time I won’t try to plant Natasha’s elbow in my face. And it’s not like what I’m learning isn’t useful, self defense is a good thing. I can’t even count the times some jackass in a bar decided to get handsy with me because I have tits. Now I have an option beside tasing the crap out of them.”

Steve’s expression was sullen, “At least if we break this off now you won’t have to be in danger from anyone who wants to use you to hurt me.” 

She looked offended and made a fist with one hand, “Excuse me, but no one. And I mean absolutely fucking _NO ONE_ gets to decide what is and isn’t an acceptable risk for me. I am an adult and perfectly capable of making my own decisions. And I’ve decided that you’re worth any additional risk!”

“I just want to protect you!” he was almost shouting.

She shouted back, her hands practically flailing in the air, “And I’m telling you I don’t NEED protecting! Why are you being such an antiquated overbearing idiot? I want this! I want _you_! And if that means letting Natasha give me bruises then it’s up to me to decide that you’re worth it!” 

He stood up suddenly, tears brimming at the edges of his eyes, and yelled, “Because I can’t lose anyone else I care about! I can’t!”

Darcy felt the wind abruptly leave her sails and her anger melted away. She stood up and got as close to Steve as she could without touching him. “Steve Rogers, the only way you are going to lose me is if you don’t let me make my own decisions.” And she grabbed a double handful of his shirt and pulled him down into kiss, moulding her body against his.

His arms folded around her and after a startled second he began returning her kiss with a frantic urgency. He pulled back after a moment and buried his face in her hair. “I don’t want to lose you.”

She reached up and carded her hands through his hair before cradling his face. Darcy tilted his face down so his bright blue eyes meet her darker brown. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned is that shit happens. Usually when you least expect it. I can’t promise to always be safe, because that’s not a promise anyone can make. I _can_ promise to be prepared enough to take care of myself if I need to. I can also promise if there are giant mechanical spiders, you can protect me from those. I meant it. I want whatever it is that we have. But I need you to respect me enough to make my own decisions.”

She felt him take a deep, steadying breath. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Okay, you’re right, I can’t decide what’s safe for you and what’s not. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to keep you safe.” his arms tightened around her waist and Darcy gasped as he put pressure on the edge of one of her assorted bruises. “What did I do?” his expression worried.

“You just hugged the bruise on my side a little hard. It’s alright.” and she smiled reassuringly at him.

“Let me see?”

She gave him an odd look and rucked her shirt up to show the spreading bruise on her side. He brushed his fingers against it and dropped to his knees, ghosting a light kiss over the tender skin. She gasped again, less in pain and more in sudden excitement. “Alright?” he murmured against her skin.

“Uh-huh. Very alright.”

“Any other bruises?” 

She shifted her shirt to display another bruise. He repeated the gesture. She bit her lip to keep from whimpering. 

“Anywhere else?” his voice had gone rough and smokey. 

Throwing caution to the wind Darcy gripped the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head, letting it drop on the floor, standing only in her yoga pants and bra, “See for yourself.” 

Steve, his hands carefully by his sides, slowly pressed kisses against her bruises before standing and brushing another kiss across her jaw.

Darcy slid her palms underneath his shirt, feeling the smooth play of muscle beneath skin. “This isn’t fair, you finally get my shirt off, and you’re still wearing yours.”

Deliberately he pulled his shirt off and dropped it on the floor beside hers with a smile. “Better?”

“Much better.” she breathed, and leaned up to kiss him.

His hands were every bit as warm on her skin as she’d expected. Warm and faintly calloused. Pressing her body against his she was surprised at the overall heat of him; as though he stoked a small sun just beneath his skin.

Mindful of her collection of bruises Steve ran his hands up her sides and across her back, marveling at the softness of her skin. He was still troubled by the dark marks marring her otherwise pale complexion but with her mouth teasing his and her breasts pressed against his chest with only the fabric of her bra between them, he was having trouble remembering why. His words were becoming broken and fragmented, just from kissing her. He murmured into her mouth, “I want...”

She hummed and tried to reduce the space between them further, “What do you want?”

Finally, his resolve crumbling, he simply said, “You. I want you.”

Her delighted laugh made him open his eyes, “I’m right here for the taking.”

His eyes widened at the invitation and he grinned a slow hungry grin. “Oh, really?” He slid his hands down her back to cradle her ass and lifted her up against him. She made a sound of surprise and quickly wrapped her legs around his waist, bracing her arms around his neck.

Darcy’s smirked and licked her lips, “Mmmhmmm.... Right here, and all yours.” and she kissed him again as he held her to him.

Steve carried her, with her legs wrapped around his waist to bed. Bending down he laid her out on top of the blankets and admired her for a moment, fair skin, dark hair, eyes heavily lidded and dark with lust.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” she said with a grin and extended her hand in invitation. 

He crawled up the bed to kiss her, his body covering hers. Darcy arched up against him, trying to bring her body in contact with his warmth. Steve brushed her hair aside and looked at her, his expression solemn. “I haven’t done this in a very long time.”

Darcy pressed a kiss against his shoulder, “It’s alright, I haven’t done this in awhile either.” She paused, suddenly embarrassed, “Er, awkward questions time, do you have condoms?”

Darcy was amazed to see Steve blush to the roots of his hair before he said, “Yes, I, um, I got some. I thought it would be a good idea.”

“Oh good, because these pants don’t have pockets and my stash is all the way down in my room. Now, shut up and kiss me.”

“Yes, ma’am.” and he dipped down to kiss her. He trailed a row of kisses across the unbruised side of her jaw, down her neck, and down to the top of the material of her bra.

Darcy wiggled a moment, got a hand behind her back and undid the clasp of her bra and squirmed again, tossing the offending garment off the bed. “Please consider that an engraved invitation.”

She could feel his lips curving into a smile against her skin as his mouth dipped lower, taking a nipple in his mouth. His tongue stroked across the sensitive skin and she closed her eyes, taking in the sensation of warmth and pressure. “Oh, god.” she whispered and threaded her fingers through his hair. 

He smoothed his hand from her waist, up her side to cup her other breast in his hand, thumb rubbing across the tender nub of her nipple.

Darcy always had sensitive breasts, but as her thoughts began to dissolve she wondered if he could make her come just from his hands and mouth on her breasts.

She tried to touch as much of his skin as she could reach; his shoulders, his back, his chest. She skimmed a hand down the front of his neatly pressed khakis and she felt him, hard, and hot through the fabric. He moaned, his face pressed against her breasts. Experimentally she cupped her hand around him and rubbed. He twitched and arched against her hand with a muffled oath.

He looked down at her, taking in her wickedly satisfied smile and smirked lasciviously in return. Starting with her breasts he began kissing his way down her body. When he got to the top of her pants he looked up at her and arched an eyebrow in question. She bit her lip as she nodded. 

Carefully he hooked his fingers in the waistband of her pants and dragging his hands down, pulled them down over her hips and off her body, tossing them to the floor. He leaned forward covering her body with his before kissing her again. 

His hand coasted down her side, over her now naked hip, and began brushing the inside of her thigh. Willingly she parted her legs in invitation. He cupped his hand over her cunt, feeling the slick heat there, before slowly sliding a finger into her.

Darcy arched her back and gasped, her hands gripping his shoulders. He carefully stroked his finger in and out of her, trying to memorize her whimpers and gasps.

Her skin was flushed and her head thrown back wantonly as she pressed her hips up to meet his hand. Breathlessly she asked, “More?”

Deliberately he added another finger to the first and pressed his thumb against her clit. Slowly rubbing and stroking. Feeling her drench his hand in wetness as her words became less and less coherent.

Darcy could feel the delicious tension building in her body that climbed a little higher with each thrust of Steve’s fingers. She knew she’d been reduced to throaty moans and desperate cries of “Oh, god. Oh, please!”. When she came at last her fingers were digging in to Steve’s arms and her head was thrown back, her entire body writhing and shaking.

Steve slipped his hand from between her legs as she shuddered and slowly came back to herself. Steve was staring at her intently, his eyes shining and dark. “Like what you see?” she purred. 

His only response was to kiss her hard, and fast, pressing his cock against her leg. Darcy couldn’t help but note he seemed very... proportional.

She chuckled into their kiss and reached down to his belt. “You are entirely over dressed for the occasion.”

They made quick work of his pants and boxers. As soon as he was naked she wrapped her hand around his cock, stroking him. He groaned, “I want you.”

Despite her earlier climax Darcy couldn’t agree more with Steve’s desire. “Condoms?” she asked, her voice throaty with desire.

“Drawer.” and he pointed to the table beside his bed. She kissed him hungrily and gave his cock a few firm strokes before scrambling across the bed to the promised box of condoms.

Foil packet in hand she came toward him on her hands and knees. She took a moment to admire him, stretched out on his back on the huge bed; _seriously what did one man need with a bed the size of a small continent?_ she wondered. He was all defined and lean muscle; golden, sun kissed skin and tousled blonde hair. She couldn’t quite keep herself from licking her lips a little at the sight of his cock, thick and hard, jutting against his belly. She decided that giving him the best blowjob of his life would have to wait, she wanted him inside her.

She knelt by his hip, and his arm curled around her drawing her closer, as she ripped the foil open and deftly rolled the condom down his length. She could feel the tension in his body as he tried not to thrust against her hand. Darcy grinned down at him and straddled his hips, rubbing her slick, wetness against him. “Oh god Darce, you’re trying to kill me.”

She leaned forward slightly, bracing a hand on his chest, and then slowly impaled herself on his cock. Not stopping until he was buried deeply within her. The exclamations of mutual pleasure had them both panting. Steve arched his hips, pressing up into her and she gasped. 

Darcy set an agonizingly slow pace for several minutes. The slow roll of her hips forward and back again, not in any hurry, focused on the hedonistic pleasure of Steve’s body under hers.

She leaned forward to kiss him, their tongues meeting and stoking the fire between their bodies even more. He reached up to cup her breasts and ran his thumbs over her nipples, and appreciated the desperate little whine she made as she began to move faster over him.

Darcy’s breathing began to come in little gasps and whimpers, peppered with half formed words. “Oh, fuck, yes, please, Oh!” She could feel herself rushing to the edge of a second climax. Steve gripped her hips tightly and continued to thrust into her tight heat, sending her spiraling right over the edge. He watched her throw her head back and come undone.

In a sudden fluid movement Steve surged up and reversed their positions, his arms cradling her. He kissed her neck as she wrapped her legs around him. He groaned, “I can’t take much more.”

“It’s okay - let go. Just let go.” she urged. 

He made a feral sound between a moan and a growl and set a sudden, frantic pace. Darcy reached over her head and braced herself against the wall. Still sensitive from her own orgasam, she felt a third climax begin to barrel down on her. She canted her hips up just _so_ and began a ceaseless babble that ended in a cry being torn from her lips as her cunt began to clench around his cock again.

Which was enough to send Steve over the edge with a shout, he slammed into her a final time and she could feel his cock pulsing and twitching as he came.

They held each other for a moment, hearts still racing. Finally Steve reluctantly moved off Darcy and got up to discard the condom. He returned to the bed and lay on his side beside her.

She curled up against him, “Before you ask, yes, that was good. Actually better than good. I don’t think ‘mind blowing’ would be over stating the fact just now.”

He chuckled softly, “Well I did say it had been a while since I did that. I was worried I’d forgotten how.”

She cracked an eyelid open and gave him a frankly disbelieving look. “Right, uh-huh. I’m sorry but after you get a gal off three times that’s a little hard to credit.” She squirmed closer, “So does it still count as angry make-up sex when it’s our first time?”

He kissed the top of her head, “I’m fairly sure I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

They lay curled together for a while before Darcy finally sat up and kissed him on the cheek. “Be right back.” and she slipped out of bed down the hall to the bathroom.

Steve lay there and admired the view for a moment before noticing something on Darcy’s back, between her shoulders. When she returned he asked, “What’s that, on your back?”

“Hmm? Oh, my tattoo.” She sat with her back toward him and swept the fall of heavy dark hair out of the way. Between her shoulder blades was an image of a burning candle, set in an old-fashioned candle holder. The sort with the flat bottom a little finger loop to hold it by. It was done in greys and shadows, suggesting a last light against darkness somehow. Surrounding the candle were words in French.

“What do the words mean?” he asked, tracing his fingers over the script.

“I translated it to French my last year of high school - it says ‘That which burns twice as bright, burns half as long’. I - I got it after my parents died. It was a bad time for me and I was doing a lot of stupid self destructive shit. One of my friends, Ian, yelled at me; said I was going to burn myself up, burn myself out.” She shrugged one slender shoulder. “He was right. I started pulling my head out of my ass. A few weeks later I found the bit of paper I’d translated this on to. It seemed apt. Like it just fit. I had Ian’s old boyfriend draw this for me, and they went with me to get it done.”

Steve sat up a little and took her by the shoulders and pulled her toward him. “I’m glad you had good friends.”

Suddenly Darcy yawned. She clapped her hand over her mouth, embarrassed.

“Tired?” he asked, his voice gentle.

Ruefully she said, “Unsurprisingly exhausted.” 

He looked at her seriously before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “Stay with me tonight?”

She kissed him and began pulling the blankets down. “I warn you, I cuddle.”

Steve reach over and turned off the lights before joining her under the covers. “I think I can manage.”

They fell asleep, Steve curled around her.

In the half light of dawn Steve woke suddenly. He looked down and smiled tenderly at the girl who had stolen his pillow. He lay in bed and watched her sleep for a moment, before slipping from beneath the blankets to pad to the living room. He gathered his sketchbook and pencils, and as an afterthought picked their shirts up off the floor.

Darcy woke some time later as light streamed through the windows. Steve was sitting, still naked, on the bed, his sketchbook braced on his leg as he drew. “Hey there handsome.” she said, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “What are you drawing?”

He smiled, shyly, “I was drawing you.” and he turned the page toward her. 

She looked at the drawing in amazement. He’d somehow perfectly captured the loose limbed sprawl of sleep. Her hair was a wild tangle across the pillow behind her and her face peacefully relaxed. “That’s really gorgeous.”

“I had a good model.”

Grinning she reached out for him, “Flattery will get you everywhere. Now come back to bed. Let’s wake up properly.”

Returning her grin with one of faintly wicked anticipation he put the paper and pencil down. “Yes ma’am.”


End file.
